'Father of China's nuclear submarines' Huang Xuhua dies of illness at 99

(ECNS) -- Huang Xuhua, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, recipient of the Medal of the Republic, and chief designer of China’s first-generation nuclear submarines, passed away at the age of 99 on Thursday in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province.

Known as the "father of China's nuclear submarines," Huang had dedicated his whole life to the development and advancement of China’s nuclear submarine program.

Born on Mar. 12, 1926 in Shanwei, Guangdong Province, he graduated from the Shipbuilding Engineering Department of National Chiao Tung University (now Shanghai Jiao Tong University) in 1949.

In 1958, he was assigned to develop China’s first-generation nuclear submarine. He and his team launched China’s first nuclear submarine in 1970, whose performance surpassing that of the first U.S. nuclear submarine in 1954.

In 2018, Huang was honored with the title of "Influential Chinese in the World," and in 2020, he won the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, China's top science award, for his contributions in 2019.

He was deeply committed to the long-term development of China’s science and technology sectors, particularly in nuclear submarine research, as well as to the healthy growth of future generations.

He donated more than 20 million yuan ($2.74 million) of his earnings to support scientific research, popular science initiatives, and educational institutions.